Bidders Drawn to Unique Works by Contemporary Artists at Swann Galleries' Auction of American and Contemporary Art

NEW YORK, NY.- Bidders were drawn to an assortment of drawings and other unique works at Swann Galleries November 18 auction of American Art & Contemporary Art. The sales top lot was a Sketchbook with 52 drawings in pencil, ball-point pen and ink and crayon by Joan Mitchell, circa 1954-55, which brought $144,000*. The book had been inscribed and dedicated, on the occasion of Mitchells 29th birthday, by fellow artists Paul Brach, Mike Goldberg and Miriam Schapiro.

Other unique highlights offered in the Contemporary Art section were Jim Dines Visiting with Charcoal I, charcoal on paper, 1980, one of the artists signature depictions of a bathrobe, this one nearly five feet tall, $24,000; Karel Appels Deux Oiseaux, gouache and crayon on paper, 1958, $22,800; and Paul Jenkinss Phenomena Sufi Veil, watercolor on paper, 1982, $13,200.

Featured contemporary prints included Keith Harings Pop Shop III, set of 4 color screenprints on paper, 1989, which sold for a record price of $19,200; as well as the Josef Albers portfolio Homage to the Square, Soft EdgeHard Edge, with 10 color screenprints, 1965, $14,400; two Willem de Kooning lithographs, Woman with Corset and Long Hair, 1970, and Minnie Mouse, 1971, $9,600 each; David Hockneys The Artist and Model, etching, 1974, $14,400; and Chuck Closes Self Portrait, color lithograph and screenprint, 2007, $13,200.

There were also several screenprints by Andy Warhol, such as Jacqueline Kennedy II, printed in black and metallic purple on paper, 1966, $15,600; Electric Chair, 1971, $11,400; and Paramount, the recognizable movie studio logo, on board, 1985, $19,200.